UNICEF Philippines

Happy #UNDay! Honored to represent UNICEF Philippines as we celebrate 80 years of the UN and its long-standing partnership with the #Philippines.    From being one of the original signatories of the UN Charter in 1945 to its continued leadership in peacekeeping, human rights, and international law, the Philippines has consistently championed what committed multilateralism looks like. Department of Foreign Affairs Sec. Lazaro’s words captured it best, “The international community can count on the Philippines to be a steadfast vanguard of the UN Charter.”    That commitment is alive and well through the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2024–2028. We’re working closely with government, civil society, and the private sector to help build a more inclusive, resilient, and peaceful future for all.    This partnership is not just history, it’s a living commitment. As Arnaud Peral, UN Resident Coordinator in the Philippines, said, “The UN is not an institution apart from us. It is a reflection of who we are and what we choose to stand for.” That really resonated with me.    The challenges ahead such as climate change, inequality, and disinformation demand renewed courage and cooperation. Looking forward to building the next chapter with the UN Philippines team #ForEveryChild!  

This is major milestone for our continuing work with DepEd BAE on strengthening ALS. Congratulations to all of us who worked in the back end (UNICEF Educ, UniMelb & ACTRC research team, BAE team, and ALS implementers)! We started this innovation at the height of the pandemic and toiled through years of online discussions, field-level trials, volumes of reports and assessment instruments, and admin changes. The collaborative spirit pulled us through, primarily because we believe in the initiative's potential and...because we love ALS. There's still a lot of work to be done - I hope I'd be able to continue supporting BAE in this journey.

It was a day celebrating the beauty of second chances as we joined DepEd Philippines in the awarding of the first Alternative Learning System (ALS) Life Skills Micro-certificates in Tondo, Manila. This milestone reflects DepEd’s commitment to innovation and inclusion, reaching out-of-school youth and adult learners aged 16 to 60 with flexible, community-based learning. The Life Skills Micro-certification is more than a piece of paper. It is a powerful tool that validates essential skills like communication, teamwork and cooperation, leadership, and problem-solving. It opens doors to employment, further training, and personal growth. Since 2020, UNICEF Philippines has supported the development of this innovation in partnership with the Department of Education, the The University of Melbourne‘s Faculty of Education - Melbourne Metrics, and the University of the Philippines’ Assessment Curriculum and Technology Research Centre (ACTRC) . Together, we’ve co-developed and field-tested assessment tools, built capacity, and supported implementation across eight school divisions nationwide. This year alone, 2,854 ALS learners are receiving their micro-certificates. We are proud to stand with DepEd and partners like Nokia and the UNICEF Finland in linking education to opportunity, helping learners thrive as workers, citizens, and individuals. To all the learners who received their certificates, congratulations! As you begin your journey, we at UNICEF are cheering you on every step of the way! #ForEveryChild, second chances.

We have all heard that exercising regularly is good for us. But does simply knowing that mean we actually do it? Communicating a message is necessary, but not sufficient, to change behavior. Real change requires understanding the motivations, barriers, and social norms that shape people’s decisions. That’s where behavioral and social sciences come in. This week, UNICEF Philippines and the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) — through its pioneering College of Development Communication, University of the Philippines Los Baños — took an important step to bring this thinking into the classroom. Social and Behavior Change (SBC) will now be embedded in undergraduate and graduate programs, equipping future development communicators to design people-centered strategies that create sustainable shifts in practice and policy. I’m grateful to Vice Chancellor Dr. Agham Cuevas, Dean Dr. Edmund Centeno, and the CDC faculty for their openness and leadership. And I’m especially proud of my UNICEF colleagues Kathleen Solis, Katrina Arianne Ebora-Villafranca, and Alyza Joy Narvaez, whose dedication has been shifting our SBC work towards strengthening national systems — ensuring that impact goes beyond projects to lasting change. Together, we hope to co-develop a model that shows how behavioral science and communication can be meaningfully combined for greater impact — one that other academic institutions can also learn from. #ForEveryChild #Philippines #SocialAndBehaviorChange #DevelopmentCommunication Vincent Petit Rudrajit Das